Distracted by Distractions

First of all, if you’re reading this article while driving… stop it.  Secondly, although texting and phone calls have gotten quite a bit of attention when the topic of distracted driving comes up, it seems that there are other things that can take your eyes off the road.

A new study shows that parents are at risk of distracted driving because of the simple fact that their kids are in the car with them.  Australian researchers found that in a 16 minute trip, the average parent takes his or her eyes off the main job of driving for a total of three minutes and 22 seconds.  In fact, babies in the car can be eight times as distracting as just having an adult sitting next to you.

This bundle of joy is a HUGE distraction!

While it’s not practical to NOT have your kids in the car, it’s also impossible to leave home the other thing that has been cited.  Your own daydreaming brain.  

According to Erie Insurance Group, 62 percent of the crashes that were caused by distracted driving can be attributed to people being lost in thought.  Daydreaming. 

Distracted driving is a pretty serious problem, and the more buttons, lights, sounds, and devices that are put into are cars, the bigger the problem seems to get.  Despite all the technology that is out there, it’s important to remember your number one job while driving… is to drive.

Your Car's Air Conditioner is not Trying to Kill You

Warmer weather brings out the birds, new plants, and apparently a whole crop of new internet rumors about your car’s air conditioning.

With a little help from the American Cancer Society and the hoax debunkers at snopes.com, we can assure you that you will not get cancer from your air conditioning.

The email that has been going around claims that turning your A/C on kicks up all kinds of benzene from the air ducts and other plastic objects in your car.  It suggests that turning on your air conditioner right as you enter the car putting you in a cancer soup that is almost certain to cause leukemia. 

While it is true that benzene is a known carcinogen, and it’s nothing to mess around with, a 2007 study looked specifically at car interiors and did not find benzene, and it certainly has nothing to do with your air conditioner. 

All of this assumes your car is working well, and properly maintained.   

As a practical matter, you may wish to open the windows before you turn the A/C on so the hot air can escape.  Releasing the hot air will make sure that your air conditioner doesn’t have to work so hard to keep you comfortable. 

For more information on this rumor email or potential cancer causing chemicals in your car, learn more at cancer.org or snopes.com

Cars Coming of Age

Not much has changed in the automobile industry in nearly 100 years.  Basically, you put gas in one end, and go sit on the other end and drive away.  That's the way it has always been and, with exception to some design changes, nothing is really different from the first car to now.

Until this month. 

Since the oil crises in the early 1970's to now, people have been saying “there has to be a better way.”  Lots of experiments, lots of expensive solutions, and Detroit just hasn't come up with much.  Now, it seems, the solution is coming out of a California company. 

Tesla hasn't reached the massive output and monster sales numbers that Detroit's “Big 3” have, but it could be the tiny rock that finally gets Goliath's attention.  After cars like the Volt, Leaf, and electric Ford Focus have had lukewarm reception, comes a completely different car that just got the honor of being Motor Trend's Car of the Year.

Beyond the prestigious award, comes real financial gain for Tesla.  Suddenly, this strange little car company is making a profit, and making a car that acts like... well, a car.  It drives further, handles better, and people seem to want it.

Granted, it's early and Detroit gets a bit uncomfortable when somebody builds a better mousetrap, but one would be wise to keep an eye on this Tesla.  A financial success in the automotive marketplace could mean a whole new way of buying and driving cars.  One that we've all been hoping for since the 1970's.

The Sour Smells of Spring... from Your Air Conditioner?

Every time the weather changes from cold to warm or back again, we usually wake up some dust that has settled in the heating or cooling systems, and that's why you get that temporary aroma when the heat or the air conditioning has been turned on for the first time each season.  No big deal, and it usually works its way out after the A/C has been on for a couple minutes. 

 

But, if your air conditioning has a foul odor coming from the vents that just won't give up, you might want to investigate further.

AHHH, what is that smell?

 

Your ventilation system brings in air from the outside, then cools it or heats it.  You've got some filters in there that try to make sure it's just air going through, but it's not perfect.  If you get a smell that seems to be more like gentle aroma of the space between the toes of a marathon runner, you've probably got some bacteria in your system.  Yuck.

Spraying some disinfectant in the evaporator will usually do the trick.  That is, if you can get to the evaporator.  It's usually right behind your glove compartment, so you may need to take some stuff apart.  If you don't feel like doing that (and who could blame you), you can first try to blast the disinfectant right into the vents, then blast the air conditioning for 10 or 15 minutes.  Many times that can solve the problem. 

If you are smelling oil or gas when you turn on your a/c, you've got some bigger issues and it might be time to bring it to us here at US Automotive.

Enjoy the fresh air when you can...!  But, if it's not so fresh in your car, we hope we were able to help!

Are Your Brakes Crying for Help?

Your brakes know how to talk to you, but are your listening?

Maybe someday we’ll get to the point where our cars are regularly talking to us and giving us advice but, unless your name is David Hasselhoff, that is still years away.  In the meantime, turn down the tunes and listen to your brakes.

"Michael, my brakes need to be replaced!"

There’s a nifty little “warning strip” in your disc brakes that lets out a cry when trouble may be near.  If your brakes are squealing, the best thing you can do is have them checked right away.  The truth is, the story only gets worse the longer you wait.

Once the warning strip gets worn down, the squealing will stop.  That doesn’t mean the problem went away because the next thing that you’ll both hear and feel is grinding.  That grinding means you are about to do damage to the rotors and the brake drums.  After that, the trouble only gets worse and the car starts to pull from one side to the other.  When that starts happening, the bill starts going up.

So, the next time your brakes start to cry, you can either take care of it now and save money… or wait until you’ve got big problems and a big bill.

Who will be crying then?